"Now where`s the other one"

Shoes! We all have them, and for us girls we have a lot of them. For years when standing at the front door in a hurry to get out I always found myself saying "now where`s the other one", searching through the ever growing pile to find the matching set. Clearly they weren`t organized.

I have tried a number of different types of shoe organization methods.

My first solution was baskets for each type of shoe. One for flats, one for flip flops, one for heels, etc. As much as it narrowed down the search, I still found myself digging to find the matching pair. I also found that smushing all my shoes together didn`t leave them in the best condition. 

My second attempt at shoe organization was an exposed shelving system. As much as it was easier to find the pairs of shoes, I found I would have needed 10+ more shelves to fit my entire collection and I just didn`t have the space for that.

My final and current attempt has brought me great success. In my closet I have individual plastic boxes for each set of shoes. The labels clearly tell me what is in each box, and the see through nature of the boxes also give me a glance when deciding what I want to pair with my outfit for that day.

So many shoes seem to be the achilles heal of every home, but don`t be afraid there are a ton of organized solutions, one that just may work for you!

It`s All About You

Organizing is largely about you and your needs. Not all systems work for all people, so you need to work out what`s best for you.

I can`t tell you how many times I have organized my Dad`s office, just for it to return to it`s original state a week later. That`s when I realized that my organizational style clearly wasn`t what worked for him. So after some observation & examination I came up with a more appropriate style that worked for him. I was more of a file away type, he was more of a toss it in a labelled basket type.

So do some observation to see what would work best for you and your family. It may take a bit of trial and error but in the end it will all be worth it, because your never going to stay organized if your system doesn`t work for you!

Maybe this is his style? 

Welcome to 'Keep It Organized'! 

When I was little I used to go over to my best friends house to play (as most kids do). Her mom ran a babysitting service out of their house, so there were always oodles and oodles of toys to play with. Every Saturday when I got dropped off and we marched down to the basement I would say "we have to organize the toys, before we can play". So there we would sit for hours making sure every toy was in the correct bin before we could get to the play. For any other kid cleaning up was the worst part, but for me it was the best... I think that`s when we all knew I was destined to be an organizer. And ever since then that`s just what i`ve been. From my notebooks in school to my kitchen cupboards I love to organize! Which has led me to this, sharing my love & passion for organizing with all of you!

In this blog I hope to share tips, tricks and some of my own organizational stories. If you have any questions of your own that your having trouble solving feel free to post them in the 'Your Organizational Obstacles' section of the blog and i`d be happy to give you my two cents.

Happy Organizing!